The legislation saw people investigated or persecuted for their sexuality, which German authorities are now trying to make up for.
Paragraph 175 was created in 1871 before being repealed in 1994, with it being most severely implemented under Nazi rule. Up to 50,000 men were convicted under it between 1949 and 1969 and it was predominantly used against gay men.
On 13 September, the country’s Federal Office of Justice shared that 317 applications were received and 249 of these had compensation paid out by the end of August.
This is equivalent to £732,000 worth of payouts, with 14 applications still in the processing stage. The office said that there have been 18 rejections and 36 withdrawals so far and the compensations available also apply